Unicorn Wars

Unicorn Wars is a 2022 animated splatter war film directed and written by Alberto Vázquez. The story takes place during a war between anthropomorphic teddy bears and wild unicorns, focusing on two bear brothers who are sent on a military mission into a magical forest. The film, a co-production between Spain and France, received the Goya Award for Best Animated Film at the 37th ceremony and was also nominated for Best Animated Film at the 10th Platino Awards.

In a magical forest, bears and unicorns once lived alongside other animals. After discovering a sacred book in the ruins of a church, the bears gained sentience and built a civilization, evolving into colorful teddy bears. The bears believed they should cultivate the forest, but the unicorns opposed them. In truth, the bears’ deforestation provoked the unicorns to retaliate and drive the bears out, sparking a war. The bears believe the conflict will end when their "chosen one" drinks the blood of the last unicorn, summoning a god-like being back to the forest.

Drill Sergeant Caricias trains new recruits, including twin brothers Gordi and Azulín. A chaplain fills the troops with religious hatred for unicorns. Azulín pretends to protect Gordi while secretly hoping to become the Chosen One. He strives to be the best recruit but resents the top soldier, Coco. Azulín has also envied Gordi since birth, because Gordi was born first and won their mother’s favor. When their mother left their father for another man, Azulín’s jealousy drove him to poison her lemonade, killing her.

The brothers’ unit is sent into the forest to find a missing squad, led by Caricias and the chaplain. They encounter caterpillars and consider eating them, but the chaplain warns against it based on scripture. Caricias defies the warning, and the caterpillars turn out to be hallucinogenic, causing frightening visions that kill two recruits. The squad later finds the mutilated remains of the missing soldiers, driving Caricias insane. They then kill a lone unicorn named Carmen, but a herd attacks, leaving only Azulín, Gordi, and the wounded Coco alive. Azulín’s rage boils over, and he kills and cannibalizes Coco.

The brothers find two more unicorns. Azulín badly wounds a filly named María but is impaled by another unicorn, Laura, and falls into a river, disfiguring the right side of his face.